Summary of Main Ideas

Recently, I spoke with the football team at Prosper High School, and to get to connect the dots between the 4 core principles of their football program, and how those directly correlate to the game of life.

Everything you need to be successful in the game of life, you can learn in the game of football. Whether you’re a husband, father, entrepreneur, or the President of the United States, these core values are guaranteed to shape you.

1. Honor your teammatesRecognize that no matter what, you will honor your teammate in every way. Not only in the way that you see them, but in the effort that you give.

Everything you do, whether in the weight room or the classroom, is a direct representation of how much you honor the person to your right or left. Simply put, if you give half effort, then you don't really care for your teammates. If you’re not excellent across the board you’re not excellent at atll.

2. Serve OthersIf you are above serving, then leading is beyond you.

The point of leadership is not that others help you achieve your goals, but that you are serving those around you and helping them live into their full potential.

Your number one job as a leader is to serve those that work with you and for you.

3. Belief in the processThe “overnight success” is a nice easy headline. You hear it all the time. Someone went from 5th string to the starting lineup in no time.

The problem is, the overnight success is a myth. You can’t go from nobody to somebody overnight. You can’t go from bench pressing 100 pounds to bench pressing 350 pounds overnight.

Put in the work. If you do the right work at the right time in the right way, over time you see the results. It’s been said that most overnight successes take about 15 years to create.

Belief in the process isn’t enough. If you truly believe in the process, your actions will change. If your beliefs don’t change your actions, you don’t actually believe.

4. Expect ExcellenceWhere you focus, you finish.

If you start your day off thinking about how terrible the day is going to be, guess what? Your day is going to be terrible. When you focus on all the bad things you miss out on all the good things that are happening right in front of you.

Quotes

“Where you focus, you finish.” Stephen Mackey

“What we are waiting for is not as important as what happens to us while we are waiting. Trust the process.” Mandy Hale

“Step out in faith and walk into your purpose” Germany Kent

Reflection Questions

Where are the areas in your life that you see these 4 core values playing out?

What are some of the ways that you need to start not only believe in the process, but really working the process?

Where do you (or your students) need to shift your focus to start to truly expect excellence?

What is your ultimate goal, and how can these 4 core values help you get there?